The NBA playoffs are becoming very shocking to many people. On the East and West coasts, teams are pulling out amazing wins. Let’s dive in to see who these teams are and their standings.
East Coast
We start on the East Coast where 2 underdogs made a surprising come-back, beating the #1 and 2 teams. The Indiana Pacers started the playoffs strong by beating the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Then, in the second round they were matched up with the #1 team in the East Coast, the Cleveland Cavaliers (Cavs). The Pacers started of the series by winning the first 2 games. Then, the Cavs won the 3rd game making the series 2-1. In the next 2 games the Pacers came out victorious, beating the Cavs and making it to the next round. Many people were shocked by this turnout. During the regular season, the Cavs were the #1 team in the Eastern Conference. Everyone thought they were going to make it to the finals, but this shocking turn of events has made people re- think what’s going to happen next.
Next, the New York Knicks. This season, a new member was added to the team: Karl Anthony Towns (KAT) who averages 24.4 points a game! KAT, along with Jalen Brunson, make the Knicks a power team. When they made it to the playoffs, the tri-state area was full of excitement. People thought that the Knicks could make it to the finals. But, when they were matched up to the defending champions of the NBA title, the Boston Celtics, people started to lose a little bit of hope. All those people were soon proved wrong when the Knicks began to take down the Celtics. The Knicks started off strong, leading 3-1, but then the Celtics won making the score 3-2. But in the end, the Knicks came out successful winning the series with a final game score of 119-81, and moving on to the conference finals.
West Coast
The West Coast is known for some of the most famous people in the NBA. Steph Curry, LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. All these athletes play for teams in the West Coast that made it to the playoffs.
One match up, between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC), was very back and forth. By the end, the series was even, each team had 3 wins. It all came down to game 7. OKC came out victorious, making it to the Western Conference Finals.
In the other semi-final round, the Minnesota Timberwolves played the Golden State Warriors. This year, the Warriors gained a very powerful player: Jimmy Butler. Together, Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, and Dremon Greene gave the Warriors a hope they hadn’t had since Klay Thompson was on the team. But, when the Warriors Played against the Timberwolves, who had Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, they lost all their hope. During game 1 against the Timberwolves, Steph Curry pulled his hamstring and was out for the rest of the season! Soon after, the Wolves took a quick lead, and defeated the Warriors. Even though Curry’s injury ended his season before the rest of his team’s, he still played very well. He averaged 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6 assists a game.
Final Round
The final rounds are currently going on, for both the East and West Coast. In the East, the Knicks are playing the Pacers. Currently, the Pacers are beating the Knicks 2-1, but the Knicks still have a chance. In the West, the Timberwolves are playing the OKC Thunder. Right now, The Thunder are beating the Wolves 3-1. Very few teams have ever come back from that big of a loss. But, we have learned from the Knicks and Pacers this season that anything can happen! It’s anyone’s game now.
Works Cited
ESPEN. www.espn.com/nba/player/splits/_/id/3136195/karl-anthony-towns. Accessed 27 May 2025.
ESPEN. www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401769751/celtics-knicks. Accessed 27 May 2025.
ESPEN. www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3975/stephen-curry. Accessed 27 May 2025.
ESPN. www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45055586/stephen-curry-careful-tricky-hamstring-injury. Accessed 27 May 2025.
NBA.com. www.nba.com/news/pacers-cavs-takeaways-game-5-2025-nba-playoffs. Accessed 27 May 2025.
